- Crystal Palace drew 2-2 vs Brentford
- Adam Wharton on scoring his first goal
- Admits it’s been a long time coming
Adam Wharton has admitted he should have scored his first Crystal Palace goal a long time ago after he netted against Brentford. The English midfielder fired home the Eagles’ second of the afternoon in a 2-2 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Palace were held to a point and may feel hard done by given they were much the better side for the majority of the game. Ismaila Sarr gave the visitors the lead from the penalty spot before a fluke goal from Dango Ouattara equalised.
Wharton then came up with his first goal for the club, a low-driven shot that Caimohin Kelleher couldn’t stop. The South Londoners looked to have won the game until Ouattara pounced late on to make it honours even.
Adam Wharton on first Crystal Palace goal
Wharton joined Palace in February 2024 and went 836 days without scoring for the club. He marked the occasion with an incredible backflip celebration, and his mum was in attendance to celebrate as well.
The 22-year-old spoke after the game about finally getting himself off the mark for the Eagles. He told Sky Sports:
“It has been a long time coming. Delighted, shame we fell short at the end to get the three points but it’s a good feeling. A bit too many [games to wait for a first goal] I should have scored before. It’s probably the worst shot I’ve had but it goes in and I’ll take it.”
He added:
“I’ll keep having bad shots and hope it goes in. We take it and it was a good performance. We have had a lot of games, we were getting tired, but proud of the performance against a team pushing for Europe. A draw is not a terrible result and we’re looking at the performances more importantly right now [with a European final on the horizon].”
Wharton on Arsenal and Conference League final
Palace’s penultimate game of the season is next up and they face league leaders Arsenal at Selhurst Park on May 24th. Just three days later, they take off to Leipzig for their first-ever European final.
Wharton alluded to this while giving his thoughts on Palace potentially preventing the Gunners from becoming champions:
“We’re not deciding the title next week, there have been 37 games this season. We have another game a few days after [the Conference League final]. We’re not looking at trying to beat them so that they don’t win. That is none of our concern. We are focusing on ourselves and making sure we’re in the right position for the following Wednesday.”
Wharton made his 51st appearance of the season against Brentford today. His future is the subject of speculation amid interest from Liverpool and Manchester United.
The visiting fans could be heard chanting “one more year, Adam Wharton” during the game. If he does depart this summer, he’ll undoubtedly leave as a club hero.
